Rio de Janeiro, May 29: The head trainer of Brazil's national football team has sounded a warning to the Selecao's World Cup rivals by declaring Neymar a more complete player after his first season at Barcelona.

Group A Preview

According to Paulo Paixao, Neymar is now better than last year's Confederations Cup, when he led Brazil to victory by winning the Golden Ball for the tournament's best player, reports Xinhua.

"He has grown not only in the physical sense but also with more experience," Paixao said at the team's training base in Teresopolis, Tuesday. "That makes us more assured about his fitness. We are going to see a player who is sure of himself, mature and conscious of what he needs to do."

Neymar joined Barcelona from Santos for 57 million euros in June last year. Despite suffering a series of injuries, he scored 17 goals in 44 appearances across all competitions in his debut season at the Camp Nou.

Brazil, drawn in Group A with Cameroon, Mexico and Croatia. They begin their World Cup campaign against Croatia in Sao Paulo, June 12.

IANS